Well said. Editing it killed me too.

I’m dying waiting for snow. Worst season I’ve seen in a long time.

Hope you like it as much as we do.

@@thegoodridesnow had this board out for the first time today. Can’t say enough good things about it. It is truly a one board quiver if you more of an all mountain freestyle guy. Rides switch so much better than I expected. I landed a few jumps pretty far back on the tail and it held its own. Wasn’t expecting that either with the flex of this board. Also has great float in pow.

@@thegoodridesnowhey mate how do you like the DH pro? I’m thinking of picking one up in Aus for our season. Improved over the regular?

Thanks for your take. Need your boot size for this to better help.

I’m 6’3 180 with 12 boots and while I love my 157, I feel like 160 could’ve been the smarter play. The board is so easy to maneuver and flex, the extra width of the 160 could make carving even better. Unlike James, I really don’t feel much spring out of my carves, and it actually feels like my speed slightly decreases with each aggressive carve. Might be from toe/heel drag. Only other qualm with the board is I feel like I need to wax it every time I use it or the base glide feels slow

Hope it treats you as well as it did us. Cheers!

Glad you like it.

Shitty year for most so far. Hope you get better snow than what most have.

Working on it. Davey just needs to get on more boards to maje the list more legit

@@thegoodridesnowAwesome mate. Looking forward to it!

@@thegoodridesnow one more request - I don't know about other riders, but would be great to hear a few words in each review about how a board handles tighter quicker turns in trees and the like. Some boards have surprisingly anchor-like tails, and other surprise you with the opposite.

Thanks for the reminder to talk about that more. I used to address that a lot in older reviews but haven't recently.

Requested that from Burton. Hope they send it

@@thegoodridesnow amazing. Hopefully! Sounds like a great board, but really value your comparison style and where gear fits into the large spectrum of options and considerations.

Many thanks! Yeah very curious to see if it's the same construction as the Straight Chuter I tested.

@@thegoodridesnow very interesting review. I can see where there would be some similarities. Even the graphic being similar tells you something about the grouping intention.

Many thanks!

Thanks. The Superpig and Warpig are very fun rides. They just got slightly edged out by these boards.

Both are great boards but both are pretty different. If you like air and a smaller, more forgiving/more versatile, less directional ride, go TF. Go CF if hard carving and powder is all you care about.

Agreed I ride the 164 CR with stiff boots and bindings when I want a day of teeth gritting and laying trenches 🤙

If you want a "Step Up" then maybe consider the Jones Storm Wolf. That might match what you are looking for better than both boards you are considering. Flagship isn't very surfy and doesn't seem like a good fit for where you ride. Hovercraft could work but it doesn't turn that quick. Or consider the Korua Pencil or Cafe Racer. If you want to do this right hit me here to give me the info I need to help you much better. shop.thegoodride.com/merchandise/gear-advice/

No problem. Actually all your questions can be answered if you click through to the in depth review of the Excavator. If you don't need detail...Base is just slow for the price. I rode the 154.

Appreciate the response! Just watched both in-depth videos on the Excavator and the Korua TF. How would you characterize the main differences between the two? Really interested in one of them so would love your perspective.@@thegoodridesnow

Always best to hit me here if you want real advice. shop.thegoodride.com/merchandise/gear-advice/ I need to know a lot more about you to actually help. If you want a short answer I'd probably go Transition Finder if it fits your specs well. It's a little more fun to carve, floats a little easier and has a faster base.

Both are great boards. I love both. It really comes down to what you want and what better fits your specs. If you want more damp, straight line friendly and set back go Surfari. If you want more turny, softer and more easy to ride all day go Souly. Hit me up here if you want to do this right and I'll be able to help knowing a lot more about you. shop.thegoodride.com/merchandise/gear-advice/

Many thanks! You can get all your questions answered here thegoodride.com/snowboard-riding-styles-explained/

Stale Fish

Thanks! Haven't tried the plus so can't comment. Check my Lobster Aaron Schwartz review which is pretty much the same as the party wave. I got a few days on it and warmed up to it. It just took some time to get used to.

You know if the Harpoon still works for you stay with it. That is still a very fun board and there isn't a board that has a similar feel to it on this list.

That's a tough call. You are in between the 154 and 157 like I am (5'10", 85kg, Size 9 US). The 157 feels hard to turn and fatigues me in uneven snow. The 154 feels much better for all day riding but man the 157 feels amazing in clean/deep pow and good groomers. It carves soo hard and floats so easy. I see a lot of uneven snow and I like control over speed so I would choose the 154. I would say the 154 feels a little closer to the 151 Superpig and the 157 feels in between the 154 Superpig and 151 Superpig. So it really comes down to what conditions you see and what calls to you more. If you have more questions hit me here so we can do this properly. shop.thegoodride.com/merchandise/gear-advice/

That's super helpful thanks for taking the time to get back to me. Food for thought, I took it out today and man that thing charges. It was not the best conditions however still managed to get some carve turns in. Will put it through its paces over the weekend, much appreciated man and thanks again

Thanks. Shit! I accidentally edited out the part where I talk about the Baby and Giant Mantarays. Yes this is a great board but not sure if it's right for you because you didn't include your weight? Or better yet hit me up here so I can learn much more about you and help you properly. shop.thegoodride.com/merchandise/gear-advice/

180 lbs. Thanks @@thegoodridesnow

No not at all. I generally ride Union Atlas and boots vary over the years/season but same day comparisons always had the same boots. Last year I mainly rode Ride Fuse and ride Torrents

Pretty different. The Niseko is not as damp and is more comparable to more tapered boards in Gentemsticks line like the Chaser and Hornet. It's not as directional, set back and tapered as those but it's more than the Mantaray. If you see a lot of pow go Niseko. If you see a bit of both go Mantaray.

No. my local rep didn't have one for me to test.

@@thegoodridesnow ah that's a shame, from what I can tell its a bit stiffer due to adding carbon stringers in it. Do you think the added stiffness would make it less cranky at high speeds and in chop?

I won't know unless I ride it. My experiences with other Salomon "Pro" models is they are more stiff and poppy but at the expense of dampness. They are usually a cranky mess in uneven snow. I'd love to see them change that theme and make one of their high end boards more damp.

@@thegoodridesnow thanks for getting back to me, that's good to know. Cheers

Yeah fun board. Check out our review. thegoodride.com/snowboard-reviews/endeavor-archetype-2020-snowboard-review/

It means loose between the feet and it wants to start spinning on you instead of track straight when you one foot off the chair or go down a long flat cat track. Its often worse when the snow is harder.

I don't think the straight shooter fits Into this category.

No. More freeride and it didn't make that list either. Close though and just had a little too much chatter for my taste. If it appeals to you go for it. It does a lot of things very well.

It was a favorite in years past but just got edged out by these boards. Very fun ride though and it has great pop/carving ability. It's still a board I often recommend to people that email me if it fits their specs/riding style.

Thanks for the good words! The Hover is below the Hybrid and Gremlin but no slouch. If it calls to you and you see a lot of hard snow it will grip really well. The Hybrid has a good bit more bite. The Gremlin is about the same but maybe a touch better in really hard snow. Really close though.

@@thegoodridesnow thanks so much for the insight, that helps a lot. Coming from a 2020 Flight attendant 162W, which had been good to get back into snowboarding, but the edge hold in ice patches is lacking.

Thanks for the good words! Yeah Burton doesn't do as well as many brands these days in hard snow and all will do better than the FA you have. Cheers!

Just wanted to provide a follow up after picking up a Hybrid 157. Only a few days in, but your reviews were spot on. Great grip, turning is consistent in changing conditions, not the dampest, but not the most lively either and really just a great all rounder.

Thanks for your take and hope it will work for ya.

Alt Freeride ='s shorter/wider Freeride. Check this vid out kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n5iRltlktJzDl3k.html

@@thegoodridesnow thanks!!! I ride on burton FA, and find snowboard what better in powder and same or better in carving. Is it stun gun? FA very plafull desk. But I need more days in season to describe it.

Very hard to say because I know absolutely nothing about you. Hit me here with the info I need to give you real help. shop.thegoodride.com/merchandise/gear-advice/ If you want a guess. Yes the Stun Gun could work if you want something more tapered/directional/set back/floaty in pow but that can still carve well on groomers.

Fun board and check our review. thegoodride.com/snowboard-reviews/never-summer-swift-2015-2024-snowboard-review

Just go to a good tune shop where they know what they are doing and add structure…base will be miles ahead then any board coming out of factory

@@markosilhard2326 good call

You could do the same with any of these boards on the list and then again have a faster base than the Excavator though.

@@thegoodridesnow But 99% off people won't do it on other boards because they won't be worried about base glide right?

99% is an overestimate. Many riders tune their boards. Usually they do it down the road after it's been ridden a while. Many of the boards on the list will still be faster post Excavator Tune. Bottom line is K2 needs to bring back their faster bases or this might not make the list next year.

I would go 150 based on what I know but if you want to know for sure hit me here to give me the info I need to help you much better. shop.thegoodride.com/merchandise/gear-advice/

I picked up a K2 excavator 150 based on your recommendation and going to be taking it to winter park for my birthday this weekend, Can’t wait! Your review on the excavator saved me from being an orca pod member. Haha

Ha! Thanks. Hope you like it as much as I did!

Love it! Fast and fun! Great resort and powder board!

Yes it is. Look at the rider its named after.

Ah!

Yea on sidecut but not on board...

@@thegoodridesnow sidecut is what really matters, no?

Nope. Both matter to all riders. If you like twins/riding switch, knowing how much longer the nose is vs the tail is important. Same with knowing how much directional float you will have if you like to set it back in pow. Setback on sidecut can't tell you either.